Preview - Episode 89 - 'The Union Label'

HR Happy Hour - Episode 89 - 'The Union Label'

Thursday March 3, 2011 - 8:00 PM ET

Call in 646-378-1086

Listen live on the show page here, using the call-in number above, or via the widget player below:



We've been doing the HR Happy Hour show for close to two years, and we've never done a 'unions' or 'organized labor' show before. Why? Well, for the most part unions and organized labor were not really topical, not terribly interesting, and seemingly almost a relic of a earlier time in industrial America.

But in just the last few weeks the news from Wisconsin has thrust unions, labor relations, and collective bargaining from the dimly-lit back room to the front page. Today, you can't tune in to any cable news channel without getting the latest update from the statehouse in Madison. All of a sudden, we've all received a 10-minute course in collective bargaining.

Do the events in Wisconsin have broader, more universal implications? Is this really a kind of 'Custer's last stand' for public sector unions in America? Do unions even have a place any more, in an economic landscape increasingly marked by rapid change, and institutions that are forced to evolve and adapt much faster than ever before?

And one final question - since the issue of union support seems to be almost entirely tied up in politics, are elected officials of all stripes taking advantage of the situation in Wisconsin (and other states) to further there own aims?

Lots of questions, lots of passion, and no easy answers. But after two years the HR Happy Hour will at least open up the floor as we talk about unions, labor, politics, and the future of work.

Our labor relations guy, Mike VanDervort will join us for the show, as well as MIT's Thomas Kochan, and maybe even an additional guest or two, but we really want you the listener to join the conversation as well.

Postscript - who remembers the 'Look for the union label' song?

Preview - Episode 88 - 'Feedback and Performance'

HR Happy Hour Episode 88 - 'Feedback and Performance'

Thursday February 24, 2011 - 8PM ET

Call in number 646-378-1086

Listen live on the show page here, on the call in number above, or using the widget player below:



Dread the annual performance review?

Well, join pretty much all your colleagues and friends that have come to loathe that yearly exercise in futility, discomfort, and double-talk.

Want to share the good news and recognize the great contributions of your team, your peers, or even your managers? I guess you could send an email. Better not 'copy all' though, because people get enough email every day. Maybe you could just get them a gift card or something. Although who will remember the $25 pop at Olive Garden come review time next spring.

Hate the tools and sytems (HRIS, Talent Management, collaboration) that your organization has foisted on you? Join the club.

Man it would be nice to get some help with the performance/feedback process, with the peer and team recognition process, and while using a system that was actually fun and engaging. That would be pretty awesome.

And what is more awesome is that there actually is a solution that can help your organization with all those problems, it is called Rypple. And better still Rypple co-CEO Dan Debow and Rypple Head of Sales David Priemer will be our guests this week to talk feedback, performance, and why enterprise software doesn't have to suck.

It should be a fun and interesting show as we welcome the smarties from Rypple, I hope you can join us.

Preview - Episode 87 'Robots and Social Networks'

HR Happy Hour - Episode 87 - 'Robots and Social Networks'

Thursday February 17, 2011 - 8:00PM ET

Listen live on the show page here, on the call in number 646-378-1086, or using the widget player below:



In the last thirty years the remarkable advances in technology have irreversibly changed and shaped our relationship with these, newer and more complex technologies,and quite possibly each other.

Whether it is the development and increasing influence of smart and sociable robots, or the constant connectivity and apparent intimacy of social networks like Facebook and Twitter; these modern technologies have impacted us in ways that perhaps were unanticipated, unwanted, and potentially detrimental.

Do the advances in robot technology detract from our ability to connect and relate to each other? Does the constant connectivity, the prevalence of lives led online, in virtual relationships that have the potential to overtake our real world connections, threaten to drive us, paradoxically, into increased solitude?

Are we trading the real for the artificial? And if so, what does that mean for us, for our relationships, our understanding of privacy, and for the future of our workplaces?

Joining us on the show will be Professor Sherry Turkle of MIT, and author of 'Alone Together', to talk about the implications of the advances in these technologies, and the potential impacts, both good and bad, from the rise of the social age.

This should be an interesting and provocative show, and I hope you can join us.

Preview - Episode 86 'The Crossover Show'

HR Happy Hour - Episode 86 'The Crossover Show'

Thursday February 10, 2011 - 8PM ET

Call in 646-378-1086

Listen live on the show page here, on the call in listener phone line, or using the widget player below:



This week on the HR Happy Hour, we will be joined by our friends from the Drive Thru HR show, Bryan Wempen and William Tincup, for a wide-ranging and free-flowing conversation on work, talent, privacy, why you sleep with your iPhone, the future of the organization in the social age, and maybe even the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards.

Point is, with smart and interesting guys like Bryan and William, you never know what direction we may head.

From their shows you know Bryan and William are never shy from stating their opinions, and you can be absolutely sure for a fun, interesting, provocative, and highly entertaining hour.

It is the HR and Workplace radio version of Oprah coming on the Letterman show, you do not want to miss this.

So I hope you can join us for the HR Happy Hour show this Thursday night, as the crew from Drive Thru HR stops by.

Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 8PM ET Call in 646-378-1086

Preview - Episode 85 - Networks and Work

HR Happy Hour - Episode 85 'Networks and Work'

Thursday February 3, 2011 - 8PM ET

Call in 646-378-1086

Listen live on the show page or using the widget player below:



It's not what you know, it's who you know. That old business axiom has been around since the rolodex and filofax days, but it likely has never been more true than it is today for the modern organization. Tapping in to the knowledge, professional, and social network connections of employees, alumni, partners, and even fans is fast becoming a key competitive differentiator for many progressive companies.

But how does a enlightened leader take these ideas, which are kind of abstract, and distill and improve on them such that they become actionable and deliverable assets? What are the relevant networks and approaches for organizations to support, develop, and maintain? Can you really keep alumni engaged and valued after they leave? How open or closed should these networks be?

Joining us on the show to talk about the power and potential of networks will be:


Anne Berkowitch CEO of SelectMinds, along with



Jim Milton Director of Product Marketing at SelectMinds.

I hope you can join us for what should be an interesting and fun show.